Baked Murray cod with basil butter and sweetcorn

Name: Baked Murray cod with basil butter and sweetcorn
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 600g Murray cod*, divided into 4 portions (boneless, skin on); salt and black pepper; 1⁄2 lemon, sliced thinly; 2 tbsp white wine (or water); 1 garlic clove, peeled; 80g unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup basil leaves (about 25g), loosely packed, plus extra for garnish; 3 ears sweetcorn, husk stripped and kernels sliced off the cob; 2 tbsp minced chives or thinly sliced spring onion

Danielle Alvarez

March 24, 2023

This fish dish is ready in 30 minutes.William Meppem

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

I love baking fish “en papillote”, which means steaming the fish inside a sealed paper and alfoil parcel in the oven; it’s a delightfully forgiving method. While the fish bakes, make an easy green basil butter and saute some sweetcorn. It all comes together in less than 30 minutes but is very impressive.

Ingredients

600g Murray cod*, divided into 4 portions (boneless, skin on)
salt and black pepper
1⁄2 lemon, sliced thinly
2 tbsp white wine (or water)
1 garlic clove, peeled
80g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup basil leaves (about 25g), loosely packed, plus extra for garnish
3 ears sweetcorn, husk stripped and kernels sliced off the cob
2 tbsp minced chives or thinly sliced spring onion

Method

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional). As it’s heating, allow your fish to come to room temperature.
Step 2
Lay two sheets of aluminium foil on a baking tray, side by side and overlapping slightly. Lay a sheet of baking paper in the centre of the aluminium sheets. Place the fish fillets on top of the baking paper and season with salt and black pepper. Place the lemon slices on top of the fish. Splash with the white wine (if using) and then fold the aluminium foil around the top and sides of the fish to form a sealed parcel.
Step 3
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the fish is cooked through. You can check this by opening up the parcel and having a peek.
Step 4
While the fish cooks, grate the garlic clove directly into the bowl of a small food processor using a Microplane. Add 50g of the softened butter, the basil leaves and a pinch of salt and process until the butter is green, stopping at intervals to scrape down the side of the bowl. Set aside.
Step 5
Heat a medium saute pan over high heat and add the sweetcorn and remaining butter with a pinch of salt. Fry the corn in the butter until it smells nutty and both are golden brown.
Step 6
To serve, open up the parcel and remove the lemon slices, squeezing the juice onto the fish. Spread the basil butter onto the fillets and place them back into the oven for 30 seconds to melt the butter. Spoon the sauteed sweetcorn onto a serving platter and then slide the fish, with all its juices and melted butter, on top of the corn. Give everything one more sprinkle of flaky salt and top with the minced chives and extra basil leaves. Serve hot.